Courtyard by Marriott Seoul Botanic Park

1. Total Score: 7/10 Points (🌕🌕🌕🌗🌑)
2. Short Summary:
   • Courtyard: Even Better for Marriott Bonvoy Elite Members
3. Room Type & Price
4. Membership Tier & Benefits
5. Location
6. Check-In
7. The Room
8. Amenities
9. Breakfast
10. Facilities & Activities
11. Staff & Service
12. Additional Info
13. Final Thoughts
14. Recommended For

Courtyard Seoul Botanic Park has a total of six room types: four basic types and two suite types. The most basic room is the Guest Room, which is divided into a type with one king-size bed and a type with two double beds. The king-size bed type also has an accessible room option for guests with limited mobility. Both Guest Room types are 28 square meters in size; while not huge, they offer sufficient space for a stay. Both Guest Room types have a maximum occupancy of three guests, and a rollaway bed can be added to rooms with one king-size bed. The higher-tier basic room is the Park View Room. Like the Guest Rooms, it comes in a one-king-bed type and a two-double-bed type. Both Park View types are 30 square meters, making them just slightly larger than the Guest Rooms. Similarly, Park View Rooms accommodate up to three guests, and rollaway beds can be installed in the king-bed rooms. Guest Room rates start at around 230,000 KRW on weekdays and 260,000 KRW on weekends. For point redemptions, Guest Rooms typically range from 22,500 to 27,000 points during regular seasons.

Suite-type rooms include the (Courtyard) Suite and the Park Suite. Both rooms feature a Botanic Park view and consist of a living room and a separate bedroom with one king-size bed. Both rooms have a maximum occupancy of three guests, and rollaway beds are available. These two suites are essentially at the same level rather than one being a higher-tier suite than the other. The main difference is that the Park Suite is a corner room, offering views in two directions. The Courtyard Suite is about 54 square meters in size, while the Park Suite is 51 square meters. Prices for both suites start in the mid-to-high 300,000 KRW range, with the Park Suite being slightly more expensive despite being slightly smaller, thanks to its better view.

I booked the most basic Guest Room for a mid-March weekday stay at a total of 229,900 KRW, including taxes. For reference, during off-peak seasons, it was sometimes slightly cheaper to book 2-3 weeks in advance rather than 2-3 months ahead. Courtyard Seoul Botanic Park also offers a long-stay discount of up to 20% for stays of 10 days or more, giving you the advantage of staying in Seoul for less than 200,000 KRW per night. This hotel also boasts good value for point redemptions. In particular, if you use the Marriott Bonvoy program’s ‘Stay for 5, Pay for 4’ point redemption benefit, you can stay for 5 nights starting from as low as 90,000 points.

Courtyard Seoul Botanic Park is part of the Marriott hotel chain and uses the Marriott Bonvoy program. The Marriott Bonvoy program tiers Elite members based on the number of nights stayed at Marriott properties over a year, providing various benefits during stays. The tier where you start to really feel the benefits is Gold Elite; Gold Elite members receive points as a welcome gift at check-in and complimentary room upgrades (excluding suites). Platinum Elite members and above receive benefits like choosing breakfast as a welcome gift, free lounge access, and room upgrades including suites. Room upgrade priority is given to higher-tier Elite members. I stayed at Courtyard Seoul Botanic Park as a Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite member.

The benefits I received at Courtyard Seoul Botanic Park as a Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite member included late check-out, a welcome gift, complimentary breakfast for two, unlimited complimentary to-go coffee during the stay, and a room upgrade. As for the welcome gift, you receive a total of two items. One is Marriott Bonvoy points, and the other can be chosen from four options: a bottle of wine, a box of cookies, a Les Céréales amenity set, or a discount on laundry service. I chose the Les Céréales amenity kit, which includes a 30ml shampoo, body wash, conditioner, and body balm. Late check-out was available until 4:00 PM, and the free breakfast for two was provided at the Garden Kitchen on the 1st floor. For the room upgrade, I was upgraded to a suite room, the Courtyard Suite.

Courtyard Seoul Botanic Park is located near Gimpo Airport at Magongnaru Station, serviced by Seoul Subway Line 9 and the AREX (Airport Railroad Express). Personally, I think the location is quite excellent. It’s incredibly convenient to access from both Incheon and Gimpo Airports via the AREX, which also means you don’t have to worry about traffic when heading out for a departure. Additionally, Line 9 provides fast access to Gangnam, and the AREX makes it easy to get to Seoul Station and Hongdae. Given its affordable room rates despite being in Seoul and its long-stay discounts, Courtyard Seoul Botanic Park is a solid choice if you’re staying for more than two weeks. I visited with a car, and the hotel offers free parking for guests. However, it is slightly inconvenient that the hotel does not offer in-and-out privileges with a single registration, requiring manual vehicle validation before each exit. The reason you can’t register your vehicle in advance is that you must exit within a few minutes of registration to avoid additional charges. Therefore, you must request parking registration at the front desk right before exiting.

Check-in took place at the lobby on the 1st floor of the hotel. The 1st-floor lobby had an overall bright marble finish with wood textures and black accents, giving it an unobtrusive yet modern feel. I checked in around 5:00 PM, and perhaps because it was a Sunday afternoon, the check-in lobby was uncrowded. During check-in, I received thorough information on the welcome amenities, free breakfast, room upgrade, free coffee service, and parking. After check-in was completed, a staff member personally escorted me to the elevator.

I was assigned the upgraded Courtyard Suite located on the 9th floor. The Courtyard Suite is about the size of two standard rooms combined, with one half serving as the living room and the other half as the bedroom. Upon entering, the living room is the first thing you see. The overall interior featured beige-toned wallpaper and wood-toned finishes, giving it a bright yet calming vibe. It’s a safe, crowd-pleasing design. The living room had a sofa and ottoman that could seat up to four people, along with a spacious coffee table. The desk was a round glass table, which wasn’t too uncomfortable to use, but I wished it were a proper workstation. It was nice that one side of the living room had a spinning bike, allowing for basic exercise without having to visit the fitness center. The TV in the living room was equipped with Chromecast, enabling viewing of Netflix or YouTube in addition to basic TV channels.

Near the entrance, there was a large luggage rack spacious enough to hold both a carry-on and a checked bag simultaneously, saving the trouble of leaving luggage on the floor. Next to it was the mini-bar. The most noticeable difference from standard guest rooms was that the Courtyard Suite featured a water purifier and a Nespresso machine. Having a water purifier in the room was incredibly convenient during the stay. Additionally, there were instant coffee sticks, tea bags, mugs, glasses, and a mini-fridge.

The bedroom had one king-size bed flanked by side tables, and near the window, there was a mini table with two chairs. However, due to the tight space, it seemed more practical to use the living room instead of this side table unless there was a specific reason. The TV in the bedroom did not have Chromecast installed, so I could only watch regular TV channels. On one side of the bedroom, an air purifier was installed, which was great for keeping fine dust levels low throughout the stay.

On one side of the bedroom, where the entrance would normally be in a standard room, there was a dressing room. Another great feature of the Courtyard Suite was the LG Tromm Styler. I found it very useful during my stay. For those who use a Styler regularly or are on a business trip, this would be a huge plus. The dressing room also had space to place luggage, along with an ironing board, iron, and a safe. The closet was spacious with plenty of hangers.

The bathroom featured an enclosed toilet with a glass door, a walk-in shower, and a bathtub on one side. It was a slight letdown that there was only one sink, but it wasn’t inconvenient to use. While the counter space wasn’t large, there was a separate makeup vanity in the dressing room, which made up for it. Overall, it was great to have a spacious area equipped with convenient items not typically found in standard hotel suites, such as a spinning bike, water purifier, air purifier, and Styler. For a Courtyard-level suite, I believe it’s a more than sufficiently excellent room.

The Courtyard Suite at Courtyard Seoul Botanic Park is equipped with many convenient appliances as mentioned earlier. It includes a spinning bike for exercise, a Nespresso machine with two capsules, a water purifier, an air purifier, and an LG Tromm Styler. Other mini-bar amenities provided were instant coffee sticks, tea bags, sugar, and sweeteners. There were also two glasses, two mugs, two mini Nespresso cups, two wine glasses, and an ice bucket. However, it was a bit disappointing that there wasn’t an ice maker on each floor, requiring you to carry the ice bucket down to the front desk to request ice.

Bathroom amenities are kept to a minimum. NIRVAE, the brand used in all Courtyards, is provided in large dispensers for shampoo, conditioner, and shower gel, while body lotion is provided in a single-use tube of the same brand. Basic items like a comb, shower cap, and vanity kit are available, along with a hair dryer and a scale in the bathroom. Due to government regulations, toothbrushes, toothpaste, and razors are only available for purchase.

Breakfast at Courtyard Seoul Botanic Park is served from 6:30 AM to 9:40 AM. There was a notice by the elevator about breakfast peak times: 6:30 AM to 7:30 AM is the least crowded, while 8:00 AM to 9:00 AM is the busiest. Breakfast is provided at the Garden Kitchen on the 1st floor, priced at 44,000 KRW for adults and 22,000 KRW for children.

The breakfast at Garden Kitchen is exactly what you’d expect from a Courtyard: true to the basics. Western breakfast options included bread, egg dishes, bacon, sausage, pancakes, soup, grilled mushrooms, and potato wedges. Scrambled eggs were available pre-cooked, fried eggs were continuously replenished by the chef, and omelets could be requested at the egg station. For Korean options, only white rice was offered, accompanied by soybean paste soup, beef porridge, and various vegetables (carrots, zucchini, radish, seasoned bean sprouts) meant for making bibimbap. However, the rice was a bit too sticky to mix well. It was also a pity that there were no options like brown rice or mixed grain rice. Other side dishes included braised black beans and kimchi.

There was a noodle station where you could request udon and pho. Other hot dishes included grilled chicken, baked beans, grilled Atka mackerel, beef bulgogi, shrimp pasta, mapo tofu, and fried rice. The cold salad bar featured cold salads, pasta salad, and sweet pumpkin salad. Additionally, there were various breads and pastries, cheese, and ham. Drink options included carrot, orange, and apple juice. For fruits, there were pineapples, grapes, lychees, and oranges, and coffee was self-served from an espresso machine. Hot water and various tea bags were also available.

The breakfast at Courtyard Seoul Botanic Park offered a standard spread overall. It would have been better if there were one or two signature dishes unique to this hotel, and the fruit and dessert sections were a bit lacking. Considering the location in Seoul and it being a hotel, the 44,000 KRW price tag isn’t outrageously expensive, but it did leave a slight sense of disappointment. Still, given the diverse foreign guests visiting, it’s understandable that they needed to cater to a wide range of tastes. While it’s not a waste of money if you do eat it, it’s hard to say it’s a ‘must-try’ breakfast.

Since Courtyard Seoul Botanic Park belongs to the Courtyard brand, the hotel has basic facilities. The fitness center is located on the B1 floor and operates 24 hours. It is primarily equipped with cardio machines like treadmills, spinning bikes, and ellipticals, along with basic weight training machines and free weights. It’s not an extraordinary gym, but it has everything you need.

Dining options within the hotel include the Garden Kitchen on the 1st floor, which offers a breakfast buffet as well as lunch and dinner buffets. On the top floor (15th floor), a rooftop wine bar & dining called Vineyard 15 operates from 10:00 AM to 1:00 AM. Additionally, in-room dining is available from 6:30 AM to 10:00 PM, and there is a mobile convenience store feature where you can order items to be delivered directly to your room 24 hours a day.

Marriott Bonvoy Elite members with Silver status or higher receive a Coffee Pass, allowing unlimited complimentary to-go coffee and tea from the Garden Kitchen between 6:30 AM and 9:00 PM. However, you cannot sit and drink the coffee inside the Garden Kitchen.

Also, behind the hotel is Botanic Park—true to its name—making it a nice place for a stroll, and LG Arts Center is nearby, so catching a performance if the schedule aligns would be a good idea. Right next to the hotel is a commercial area with a variety of restaurants and cafes. However, as the development of the Magok district isn’t completely finished, some areas are still under construction.

The staff at Courtyard Seoul Botanic Park were generally friendly. The staff member who helped with check-in was particularly kind, and at the Garden Kitchen for breakfast, a staff member escorted me to my table after I checked in. I felt that the friendliness of hotel staff in Korea has generally leveled up. Of course, you can’t expect the extreme professionalism of a 5-star hotel, but I didn’t experience any major inconveniences during my stay.

The parking lot is located on the B2 and B3 floors. The fact that the elevator from the parking lot is physically separate from the elevator going to the hotel rooms and fitness center seems like a drawback for guests arriving with a lot of luggage. However, since it requires manual vehicle validation at the front desk before each exit, having the front desk on the path where you switch elevators might not necessarily be a downside.

While it’s easy to reach Courtyard Seoul Botanic Park from Gimpo and Incheon Airports via the Airport Railroad, you must take the ‘All Stop’ train rather than the ‘Express’ train when coming from Incheon Airport. Since the All Stop train is used by many regular commuters in addition to airport travelers, it can be slightly inconvenient at certain times if you’re carrying large checked luggage.

Overall, Courtyard Seoul Botanic Park is among the better Courtyard properties. Compared to Courtyard Sejong where I stayed before, Courtyard Seoul Botanic Park seems a bit better. In particular, I think it could be a solid option for those visiting nearby companies on a business trip. However, I have a few doubts about whether this hotel is ideal for a ‘staycation.’ Despite being on Subway Line 9 and the Airport Railroad, its geographic location near the western edge of Seoul, limited entertainment options within walking distance, and a lack of extensive internal facilities are minor drawbacks. Still, judging the hotel on its own merits, I think it’s a very good hotel among those in the 200,000 KRW range in Seoul, and it will definitely be one of the top hotels I consider the next time I stay in Korea.

I recommend it to those who have business in the Magok district, those looking for a decent hotel at a reasonable price in Seoul even if it means slightly longer travel times, and Marriott Bonvoy Elite members.